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5 Questions to ask yourself before starting a blog?

Posted 28 Jan 2010 - No Comments - leave yours now!

There are thousands of blogs out there waiting for readers to find them, they all have their place, they all jostle for position within their niche. Many blogs find a good readership and flourish. Unfortunately, just as many dwindle and end up looking neglected.
The following points will, hopefully, help you in your preparation to start a blog, or aid you in refining what you are already doing and stop yours being one of the ‘unloved’ blogs out there.

I’ve been running this blog, my first, for the last seven months. These are the question I wish I had asked myself eight months ago.

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My Life as a Cartoon #19

Posted 25 Jan 2010 - 2 Gratefully received comments

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What is graphic design?

Posted 21 Jan 2010 - No Comments - leave yours now!

It’s one of those eternal questions that will always make me smile or grimace. Just like: “What is the Matrix?” and “What’s up with that girl’s adams apple?” Love it or hate it we will always be asked this question. Usually by younger designers eager to understand what it is they have gotten themselves into or nervous clients that are desperate to comprehend what they are getting for their money.

I’m very aware that this is an article that has been written by most, if not all, other design bloggers out there, (in fact you’ll find a few links at the bottom of this article to see what they have to say on the subject) but it is important to have an answer to this, seemingly, simple question.

The wonderful thing about this question is, on the whole, you can’t get it wrong! Design is something different to every person that practices it. We all have our own unique way of describing what we do, and this is one of the reasons why people generally have no idea what that is.

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Creative Quotations #1

Posted 18 Jan 2010 - 2 Gratefully received comments

I thought I’d try to start the week with a little bit of unconventional inspiration. I’ve collected a few quotes that I like and get a bit of a kick out of. A lot of these quotes are about life in general but I think they apply to designers, creative thinkers and business people alike.

Readiness is all. – William Shakespeare

Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort. - Franklin D. Roosevelt

Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. - Harold R. McAlindon

Even within the limits of the possible, the possibilities are limitless. – Jules Deelder

The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it. - Henry David Thoreau

All glory comes from daring to begin. - William Shakespeare

The only difference between a tax man and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves the skin. - Mark Twain

None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm. - Henry David Thoreau

If computers get too powerful, we can organize them into a committee – that will do them in. - Bradley’s Bromide

Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken. - Oscar Wilde

Most conversations are simply monologues delivered in the presence of a witness. - Margaret Millar

When inspiration comes I want it to find me working. - Pablo Picasso

Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen. - John Steinbeck

Pay no attention to what the critics say. No statue has ever been erected to a critic. - Jean Sibelius

Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today. It’s already tomorrow in Australia. - Charles Monroe Schulz

If you want to test your memory, try to recall what you were worried about one year ago today. - Anonymous

Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach. - Tony Robbins

I couldn’t wait for success, so I went ahead without it. - Jonathan Winters

I have done my best. That is about all the philosophy of living one needs. - Lin Yutang

If you cannot convince them, confuse them. - Harry S. Truman

The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers. But above all, the world needs dreamers who do. - Sarah Ban Breathnach

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. - Aristotle

Set peace of mind as your highest goal, and organize your life around it. - Brian Tracy

My own business always bores me to death, I prefer other people’s. - Oscar Wilde

Creative minds have always been known to survive any kind of bad training. - Anna Freud

I was gratified to be able to answer promptly. I said I don’t know. - Mark Twain

If you found a little glimpse of wisdom in any of these quotes, why not try a little experiment. Choose your favourite and put it on display where you work, this might mean a scribbled post-it, a printed sheet of A4 taped to the wall, whatever. As long as it’s somewhere where you can see it when you look around. You might just get a little kick out of it when you re-read it. It might also give you a little something to think about when you are stuck, think of it as a little oil to grease the cogs of thought in your head.

Let me know which quotes are your favourite and feel free post a few of your own.

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Free – Illustrator Ink Brushes Set 2

Posted 14 Jan 2010 - No Comments - leave yours now!

This ink brush set is free to download.

I hope they are useful to you. I’ve made the set available as an Illustrator CS2 file and an Illustrator 10 file.

To download the CS2 .ai file, click the link below:

Download Ink Brush Set 2 – Ilustrator CS2 .ai file

To download the Illustrator 10 .ai file, click the link below:

Download Ink Brush Set 2 – Ilustrator 10 .ai file

These brushes are completely free for personal and commercial use. The only thing I ask is that if you do find them useful let me know. I’d love to see your final results, and then display them within this post.

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My Life as a Cartoon #18

Posted 11 Jan 2010 - 4 Gratefully received comments

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Free – Illustrator Ink Brushes Set 1

Posted 07 Jan 2010 - One gratefully received comment

This ink brush set is free to download.

I hope they are useful to you. I’ve made the set available as an Illustrator CS2 file and an Illustrator 10 file.

To download the CS2 .ai file, click the link below:

Download Ink Brush Set 1 – Ilustrator CS2 .ai file

To download the Illustrator 10 .ai file, click the link below:

Download Ink Brush Set 1 – Ilustrator 10 .ai file

These brushes are completely free for personal and commercial use. The only thing I ask is that if you do find them useful let me know. I’d love to see your final results, and then display them within this post.

- leave a comment!  

Who's Ken?

I'm a freelance graphic designer living and working in Suffolk. I've been using Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign & Quark Xpress since 1999 but I've been using pens, pencils, paper and most importantly my imagination for a lot longer. I'm always looking for new clients to work with and interesting projects to work on.

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